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Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli to plead guilty in college admissions scandal

For more than a year, the actress and her fashion designer husband both insisted they were innocent. As part of the plea deal, both will serve some time in prison.

Author: TEGNA

Published: 6:17 AM PDT May 21, 2020

Updated: 2:45 PM PDT May 21, 2020

WASHINGTON — Actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have agreed to plead guilty to charges in the college admissions bribery case and will serve seven months in prison between the two them, the Department of Justice announced Thursday morning.

Loughlin, 55, and Giannulli, 56, were scheduled to go on trial in October on charges that they paid $500,000 to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as crew recruits even though neither girl was a rower. They denied paying bribes and said they believed their payments were legitimate donations.

Loughlin and Giannulli previously pleaded not guilty and firmly insisted on their innocence even as other parents reached deals with prosecutors over the past 16 months. The couple are the 23rd and 24th parents to plead guilty in the case.

Their decision comes about two weeks after the judge rejected their bid to dismiss the case over allegations of misconduct by federal authorities.

“Under the plea agreements filed today, these defendants will serve prison terms reflecting their respective roles in a conspiracy to corrupt the college admissions process and which are consistent with prior sentences in this case. We will continue to pursue accountability for undermining the integrity of college admissions,” U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling said.

The U.S. Attorney's office said the couple are scheduled to plead guilty Friday morning.